Gemma Chan has officially joined the world of James Bond. She was officially revealed during Xbox’s Tokyo Game Show 2025 broadcast earlier, where we learned that the English actress will portray Dr. Selina Tan in 007 First Light, IO Interactive’s upcoming action spy thriller.
With a background in psychology, strategy, and game theory, the character is MI6’s Head of Tactical Simulation and has been specifically created for 007 First Light. This is another big addition to Chan’s already huge portfolio. But in case you haven’t seen the actress in anything, here’s everything you need to know.
Gemma Chan’s Early Life and Background
Gemma Chan was born on November 29, 1982, at Guy’s Hospital in London, England. She is British, with a multicultural heritage. Her father grew up in Hong Kong and worked as an engineer, while her mother, raised in Scotland after emigrating from Hong Kong, worked as a pharmacist.
7 years ago, ‘Crazy Rich Asian’s’ released and we met Gemma Chan as Astrid Leong for the first time:) pic.twitter.com/WtVmZ44LCo
Chan spent her early years in Bromley before attending Newstead Wood School for Girls in Orpington. Initially pursuing law, she studied at Worcester College, Oxford, where she earned her degree. After graduation, she was offered a training contract with the prestigious firm Slaughter and May, but ultimately turned it down to pursue acting.
She trained at the Drama Centre London, where her talent was spotted by producer Damian Jones, helping her secure an agent and break into the industry. Before her acting career fully took off, she also worked as a model, appearing in campaigns to support her training.
From Crazy Rich Asians to Eternals: Her Career Before 007 First Light
Chan’s acting career kicked off in the mid-2000s with small roles, including her TV debut in Doctor Who’s “The Waters of Mars” (2009) and appearances in Sherlock and Secret Diary of a Call Girl. We also later saw her gain traction from her performance on Channel 4’s sci-fi series Humans (2015–2018), where she played the synthetic “Anita/Mia.”
Dr. Selina Tan, played by Gemma Chan, is a brilliant and passionate academic with a background in psychology and game theory whose role at MI6 is critical in Bond’s journey to earning the 00 status in #007FirstLight.
007 First Light comes to PlayStation®5, Xbox Series X|S,… pic.twitter.com/F3OGIqyKC2
These roles are impressive, and we remember her appearance on Sherlock especially well, but it wasn’t her breakthrough. Her breakthrough in Hollywood came in 2018 when she played Astrid in Crazy Rich Asians and Bess of Hardwick in Mary Queen of Scots. She soon entered the Marvel Cinematic Universe with roles as Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel (2019) and Sersi in Eternals (2021).
Outside of her work in live-action media, we’ve also heard her voice in Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon and The Boy and the Heron. More recently, she appeared in Gareth Edwards’ The Creator (2023) and also voiced Erys in Diablo IV.
